Door opener



IFIEA.

Feb. 15, 1.927. 1,617,864

A. G. RAYBYURN DOOR OPENER Filed Aug.4. 192s iras/va- Ys.

Patented Feb. 15, 1927.

UNITED STATES y 1,617,864 PATENT GFFICE.

ALDEN G. RAYBURN, 0F SAUSALITO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO EMORY W'INS-IIP, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

:DOOR OPENER.

Application filed August 4, 1923.

The invention relates to door openers and particularly to means for opening the doors of a vehicle such as a street car.

An object of the invention is to provide a street car door, which when opened will not interfere with the movement of passengers to and from the car.

Another object of the invention is to provide a street car door which, in its opening or closing movement, occupies a minimum of space so that the passengers will not be compelled to move to provide space to perinit the door to move.

Another object of the invention is to provde a street car door of the type described which may be readily opened by the opeiator of the vehicle. y

The invention possesses other advanta geous features, some of which with the foregoing, will be set forth at length in the following description, where I shall outline in full, that form of my invention which I have selected for illustration in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. In said drawings I have shown one form of device for opening the doors, but it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to such form, since the invention, as set forth in the claims, may be embodied in a plurality of forms.

Referring to said drawings:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section through a portion of a street car showing the doors and door opening means of my invention.

Figure 2 is an elevation of a portion of the street car showing the doors closed.

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3* Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of an internal combustion engine lpropelled street car showing the device of my invention in its environments.

The device of my invention is particularly adapted to be used on motor busses or internal combustion engine. driven street cars,

which are operated by one man. In street cars, or motor busses, it is advisable that the doors may be opened and closed Without sii/'inging through a space which may be oc# cupied by passengers. The doors may not swing outward and if they swing inward they may require too much room for their opening or closing movement. In accordance with my invention I have provided doors, which` in their movement will not in- Serial No. 655,688.

terfere with the passengers. Further, the construction of vehicles of this character is such that the doors may not slide, while `inafintaining parallelism, since lthe door is usually arranged at the end of the vehicle .and if moved in one direction only, would In` Figure 4 I have illustrated diagrainniatically the plan of a vehicle of this character, showing the doors disposed at one end of the vehicle. rIhe vehicle body is provided with an opening` 4 which is closed-by the doors 5, 6. The doors are mounted on a track having a straight portion 7 extending across the opening 4 and straight portions 8 and 9 lying at opposite sides of the opening and preferably arranged parallel and eX- tending backward from the opening. The straight portion 7 of this track is connected to the straight portions 8 and 9 by the curved portions 12 thus forming a continuous track having central and terminal straight portions, connected by intermediate curved portions. The doors 5 and 6 are mounted on the track, each door being preferably provided with a hangerv 13 at each end, the hangers being swiveled to thedoors so that they may oscillate as they pass over theA curved portion of the track. The doors are also preferably provided at the bottom with a guideway 14 having the same shape as the track, so that the doors are guided at the top and bottom. As the doors are opened or closed they swing through paths 'at the sides of the opening and thereby do not interfere with passengers standing `on the `platform adjacent the opening or standing on the street.

Means are provided for simultaneously moving both doors in oppositeV directions s0 that the openingl may be readily closed or opened. p Fulcrumed to a liked portion of the structure of the vehicle, are two levers 16 and 17 having` slotted ends, in which engaged pins 19 are preferably disposed in alinement with one of the hangers. Y A spring 21. is preferablydisposed in the slotted portion of each lever between the end ofthe Vslot and the pin to insure proper movement of the door with respect to the lever. Means are provided for connecting the levers together' so they move simultaneously in opposite directions. Each leverI is provided with an arcuate rack 22, the two racks being in mesh so that the levers move simultaneously and oppositely. These levers may be arranged below the floor 23 of the vehicle or they may be arranged above the ceiling 2st of the vehicle or they may be arranged in both places, as shown inFigure 3.

Means are provided for moving the levers from a remote point, for instance from the drivers seat, so that the driverv may have full control of the door opening. The lever 17 yis provided with an arm, to which is connected ayrod 25 which is connect-ed at its other end to a lever 26. The other end ot the lever 26 isy connected to a rod 27 which in turn is connected to the'hand operated lever 28 which is preferably disposed adjacent the drivers seat. Movement of the lever 28 is thus transferred to the levers 16 and 1'4" and doors are thus simultaneously moved to the open or closed position. The lever 2G is fulcrumed on a rod 29 and when it is desirable to arrange the door moving levers both below and above the door as is shown in Figure 3, the rod 29 extends upward through the partition 31 and one set of door opening levers is arranged on the upper end of the rod and another set of the door opening levers is arranged on the lower end of the rod. This provides a balance and prevents any possible jamming of the doors. The doors may thus be readily opened and when opened provide a clear passageway for the passengers, and in their opening and closing movement, do not interfere with passengers `standing on the platform or desiring to board the vehicle. In the present construction the pins extend through slots in the track-s and consequently must be arranged in alinement with the hangers. lVhen however, the pins do not extend through the tracks,

y the pins may be arranged at any desired positions in the edges of the doors.

I claim:

1. A device of the character' described comprising upper and lower tracks each having a portion extending across an entrance opening and a portion extending laterally of said opening, said portions being joined by a curved portion,a movable closure engaging .said tracks at its upper and lower ends and adapted to close said opening in on-e position, a horizontal lever having a pivoted mounting above said entrance and "engaging the upper end of said closure, a horizontal lever having a pivotal mountingbelow said entrance and engaging the lower end of said closure, an actuating lever having a pivotal mounting to one side of said entrance, andmeans connecting said actuating lever with both upper and lower levers whereby upon movement of said actuating lever both the upper and lower ends ot said closure are moved to slide said closure on said tracks, said entrance being substantially unobstructed when `said closure is moved to an out of the way position.

2. A device o'lf the character described comprising upper and lower tracks each having a portion extending across an entrance opening` and a portion extending laterally and to one side ot said entrance opening, said portions being joined by a curved portion, a movable closure engaging said track," at its upper and lower ends and adapted to close said opening in one position, a lever having a pivotal mounting above said entrance and engaging the upper end of said closure, a lever having a pivotal mounting below said entrance and engaging the lower end of said closure, a vertical shaft pivotally mounted to one side of said entrance and having an actuator lever mounted upon each end of the same, means for linking together said actuator levers with said first named 'levers whereby rotation ot said vertical sliai't el'l'ects a movement oli' said closure to an out ot th-e way position or to a closed position, said entrance being substantially unobstructed when said closure is moved to open position.

3. A device of the character described comprising upper and lower tracks each having a central portion extending across an opening and side portions extending laterally of said opening, said portions being oined by curved portions, a pair of movable closures having their upper and lower ends engaged by said tracks and adapted to close said opening in one position, a pair of horizontal levers pivotally7 mounted above said opening and engaging the upper ends of said closures, a corresponding pair or horizontal levers pivotally mounted below said opening and engaging the correspondingl lower ends oi' said closures, an actuating lever pivotally mounted to one side oi said opening, means mechanically connecting said vactuating lever with one lever of each ol' said pairs of levers, and means connecting the levers of each pair whereby they are constrained to move oppositely in synchronism upon movement ot said actuator lever to move said closure members to an out of the way position or to a closed position, said opening being substantially unobstructed when said closures are moved to an out of the way position.

4L. A device of the character described comprising upper and lower tracks each having portions extending laterally across a passageway, a pair of movable closures having their upper and lower ends engaged by said tracks and adapted to close said passageway in one position, a pair ot' levers having pivotal mountings above said passageway and engaging the upper ends of said closures, a corresponding pair ot levers having pivotal mountii'lgs below said paslOl) llt)

sageway and engaging the corresponding lower ends of said closures, an actua-ting lever having a pivoted mounting to one side of said passageway, means mechanically connecting said actuating lever with said pairs of levers, and means connecting the levers of each pair whereby they are constrained to move oppositely in synchronism upon movement ot said actuating lever to move said closures to an out of the way position 10 In testimony whereof, I have hereunto 15 set my hand.

ALDEN G. RAYBURN. 

